Vacuum valve



March l, '1949. c.vB. PETRY 2,463,052

VACUUM VALVE Filed March 9, 1944 M a @VEA/TOR. Zf/

#Trag/vif Patented Mar. 1, 1949 VACUUM `vmtvn Charles B. Petry, Fair Lawn, N. J., assignor to tAllen B. Du Mont Laboratories, Inc., Passaic,

N. J., a corporation of Delaware App1ication-March 9,' 1944, Serial No. 525,799

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a valve that is particularly useful in connection with means for exhausting the air from tubes in making vacuum tubes. In carrying out the invention the valve is so arranged that it can be electrically operated in a very simple and rapid manner. i

The invention may be understood from the description in connection with the accompanying drawing in which reference character I indicates a manifold which is provided witha series of tubular projections 2 which are adapted to have glass bulbs or tubes or the like hermetically sealed thereto so as to permit passage of air from such bulbs into the manifold I when a' vacuum is applied to this manifold.

The manifold I is connected to a container and a pipe d connects this container to a vacuum tank 5 that is connected by pipe Ii to vacuum pump l.

A Sylphon 8 has its lower end 9 attached to the top side of container 3 so as to be hermetically sealed thereto. The upper end Il) of this Sylphon is similarly attached to a closure member or disc II to which it is hermetically sealed.

A This disc II is provided with a stem I2 extending loosely through an opening I3 in the container 3 and terminates in a valve Ill. A seat I5 of rubber or similar material is provided for the valve it.

A compression spring I8 surrounds the Sylphon d and has its outer end bearing against the member Il and its lower end resting upon the upper side of a large nut I9 that is adjustably mounted upon a hollow externally threaded member 20 that is attached to the top side of the container 3.

2l, 2l and 22, 22' are pairs of solenoids fixed in position in any convenient way, not shown, with respect to the member' Il. The movable cores or plungers 23, 23 of solenoids 2i, ZI are provided with downwardly and outwardly sloping ends 2d, 2d. The movable cores or plungers 25, 25' of solenoids 22. 22 are provided with downwardly and inwardly sloping ends 2E, 26. The plungers 23, 23 and 25, 25 are biased in any convenient Way, as for example. by springs 21, 2l" to remain normally in the position shown in the drawing but are adapted to be retracted outwardly by the solenoids 2l, 2l and 22, 22', respectively. The operation is as follows:

With the parts in the positions shown in the drawing the tubular projections 2 which may be of glass on manifold I are closed at their upper or outer ends and the outer end oi this manifold I is also closed. The pump l is started and when sufficient va'cuum obtains in container 3 the solenoids 2l, 2l' are energized thus retracting the solenoid cores 23, 23' and permitting the valve I4 to close upon the rubber valve seat I5 dueA to gravity and the vacuum created in the Sylphon 8. At the same time the edge of the circular top portion II passes across the sloping ends 26, 26 oi plungers 25, 25 whereupon the plungers snap back intoplace and catch over the upper surface oi member il as shown in the dashed line position` Il.

The ends of the tubular projections 2 are then opened and the glass vessels such as blanks for vacuum tubes. etc. are sealed in place on these tubular projections so that avacuum in container 3 will remove the air from them when communication to this container is established.

The opening of the tubular projections 2 for this purpose removes the vacuum from container 3. thus establishing atmospheric pressure therein .while the valve I4 which is latched in place by solenoids 25, 25 on seal I5 maintains the vacuum in tank 5. I

The solenoids 22, 22' are then energized, thus retracting the plungers 25, 25' and permitting the spring It to return the valve It to the position shown in solid lines on the drawing with the' portion I I held in the outer position by theplungers 23, 23' which snap back under the lower side of the circular top portion il after its edge has passed across the sloping'surfaces 2t,

The position to which the nut i9 is adjusted on threaded member 20 is such that the spring It is compressed sumciently to lift the valve member Id from the seat I5 against the air pressure in container 3 when there is no vacuum in the manifold I and chamber 3. The top area of the Sylphon 8 is such that atmospheric pressure on the outside thereof is suicent to close the valve Id on valve seat I5 when the solenoids having a scalable outlet along the side thereof,

a valve for said seat, a stem for said valve, a

4Sylphon around said stem having one end thereof bearing against the outside of said container and secured thereto, a disc hermetically sealed..

to the other end of said Sylphon and connected 4 v container to hold said disc in two diilerent lzoosli -f--tions. one of which is that in which said valve is to the stem of said valve and an expansion spring cally operated catch for said disc is provided outside of said container to hold it in its outer position. v

5. The device of claim 1 in which catches are provided outside of said container to hold said disc in two dierent positions, one of which is that in which said valve is on its seat.

6. The device of claim 1 in which electrically operated catches are provided outside of said on its seat.

7. The device of claim 1 in which an adjustable member is provided between one end of said expension spring and said container.

CHARLES B. PrTRY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date .719,772 Fanta Feb. 3, 1903 1,296,872 Spencer Mar. 11, 1919 1,358,987 Prince Nov. 16, 1920 1,556,072 Buck Oct. 6, 1925 1,716,160 Zworykin June 4, 1929 1,956,027 Heitman Apr. 24, 1934 2,264,989 Lee Dec. 2, 1941 2,301,031 Ferguson Nov. 3, 1942 

